Dave Philley, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetDave Philley
American baseball player
Date of Birth: 16-May-1920
Place of Birth: Paris, Texas, United States
Date of Death: 15-Mar-2012
Profession: baseball player
Nationality: United States
Zodiac Sign: Taurus 
About Dave Philley
- David Earl Philley (May 16, 1920 – March 15, 2012) was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball.
- A switch hitter who threw right-handed, he debuted on September 6, 1941 and played his final game on August 6, 1962.
- He was born in Paris, Texas. A well-travelled and -regarded clutch hitter, Philley played for eight different teams in a long, 18-season career.
- He was considered one of the game's premier defensive outfielders before Gold Gloves were awarded.
- A hustler with good range and an outstanding arm, he led American League outfielders in assists three different years (1948, 1950, 1953) and once in outs (1950).
- A highly disciplined hitter, as well, he had a short and compact swing with occasional power and was a daring and intelligent base runner.
- Still, Philley is best remembered for his pinch-hitting heroics in the late 1950s.Philley reached the majors in 1941 with the Chicago White Sox.
- He spent four years in military service during World War II, rejoining the White Sox in 1946 and playing 17 games for them that year.
- Philley was with the White Sox for five-and-a-half years before moving to the Philadelphia Athletics early in the 1951 season.
- After playing for Philadelphia in the 1951 through 1953 seasons, he next played for the Cleveland Indians in 1954.
- He was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles during the 1955 season and finished the year with a .299 batting average, leading the Orioles in batting.
- Later in his long career, Philley played for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox, including second stints with Chicago and Baltimore.
- His most productive season came in 1953 with the Athletics, when he posted career-high numbers in batting average (.303), hits (188), doubles (30), and games played (157).
- From 1947 to 1953, he averaged 27 doubles per season, and in 1950 with Chicago hit 14 home runs with 80 runs batted in, also career highs.
- While in Cleveland, he appeared in the 1954 World Series. As he got older, Philley became more of a pinch-hitting specialist.
- In 1958, playing for the Phillies, he collected 18 pinch hits, including a streak of eight straight to close the season. He also had a pinch-hit double opening day 1959, for an actual total of nine straight, a major league record that still stands today.
- While playing for Baltimore in 1961, he had a season total of 24 pinch hits in 72 at-bats, which are also American League records.A 42-year-old Philley was signed off the Baltimore roster by the expansion Houston Colt .45's during the 1961–62 offseason, but a few hours later, Houston sent him to the Boston Red Sox.
- Philley spent most of 1962 on the bench for Boston and retired at the end of the season. In an 18-season career, Philley was a .270 hitter with 84 home runs and 729 RBI in 1,904 games.
- He also collected 1,700 hits, 276 doubles, 72 triples, 789 runs, 101 stolen bases, and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 1.078 (594 to 551).
- Defensively, he recorded a .982 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions and at first and third base.
- As a pinch hitter, he batted .299 (93 for 311). Philley holds the record for the most at-bats in an American League regulation-inning doubleheader, having 13 at-bats for the White Sox against the Browns on 30 May 1950.After his playing days, Philley worked as a manager for the Houston minor league system from 1963 to 1964, and spent 1965 managing the Durham Bulls, where he won a Carolina League division title.
- He found employment for 1966 in the Red Sox organization, where he managed the Class A Waterloo Hawks and served as a scout.
- Until his death, Philley lived in his native Paris, Texas.
Read more at Wikipedia